


Skin And Bones // I'm Lying, You Know

by NicoAndTheNineGalaxies



Series: Skin And Bones [3]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anorexia, Fasting, Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 16:18:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18663916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicoAndTheNineGalaxies/pseuds/NicoAndTheNineGalaxies
Summary: Against all odds, Virgil had somehow managed to avoid his friends and his boyfriend for five days.One hundred and twenty-three hours without food, and it was definitely taking its toll.





	Skin And Bones // I'm Lying, You Know

**Author's Note:**

> TW for anorexia.
> 
> Galaxy ||-//

Against all odds, Virgil had somehow managed to avoid his friends and his boyfriend for five days.

One hundred and twenty-three hours without food, and it was definitely taking its toll.

His phone buzzed.  He propped himself up on very shaky arms, grabbing it off of his nightstand.

 

_ Ro <3: i came by to get you for breakfast again but you didn’t come to the door, and you haven’t texted us.  please let me know if you’re okay. _

 

Virgil sighed, falling back in his bed and staring up at the ceiling.

_ Okay... _ what a concept.

 

_ Virgil: yeah im fine.  think im coming down with something tho _

 

_ Ro <3: oh, okay.  get well soon, baby.  patton wants to bring you some soup later for lunch, just to make sure you’re eating. _

 

_ Virgil: ok _

 

“Shit,” Virgil murmured to himself.  If Patton was coming by, no matter what Virgil said, he’d see the truth.  Virgil was shaky, pale, and utterly exhausted, despite the fact that he’d done almost nothing but sleep the past few days.  He had tried to go for a walk yesterday evening, but he’d barely managed to make it to his bedroom door before almost passing out.

Patton would see it for sure.

Despite his exhaustion and the way his legs barely seemed willing to hold him up, Virgil forced himself to stand, his vision blinking with stars for a few moments - he had to lean back on his bed until it cleared - before he steadied himself and managed to make his way slowly out of his room.

The stairs proved to be just as difficult, if not more.  Each time he tried to step down, he felt unbalanced, like he would fall.

But it was fine.  He felt light, almost dainty, and that was worth everything he had to deal with to get there.

Except for the fact that it was already almost eleven and Patton would probably arrive in just over an hour.

Reluctantly, Virgil opened his fridge, scanning the shelves, only to find that there was almost nothing there.

...Baby carrots.  One of his only safe foods.  

Those would work, wouldn’t they?  Fairly low in calories, but filling enough that he would probably seem a little bit better by the time Patton got there.

Virgil found a bowl and counted out five of the carrots, twenty calories, and sat down at the table.

He probably spent more time staring at the carrots than he spent eating them.  Every time he looked at them, all he could see was the numbers, adding and adding and adding, and yeah, it would be the first thing he ate in five days, but even twenty calories still seemed like  _ too much. _

Regardless, Virgil managed to finish the carrots, and he definitely felt a lot better afterwards.  Yeah, he was still fairly shaky, but he felt less like he was going to pass out.

And just in time, he thought as his doorbell rang.

As soon as he opened the door, he was immediately enveloped in a tight hug.

“Virgil!  I haven’t seen you all week!” Patton pulled away, walking to the kitchen and setting a container on the counter.  “I brought you some chicken noodle soup, because I know that’s your favorite, and because Roman said you aren’t feeling well.”  He frowned, studying Virgil intently. “You look really pale...go sit down in the living room, alright? I’ll get you some blankets.  You can turn on a movie if you want.”

Virgil offered Patton a weak smile before going to the living room and sitting down on the couch.  Patton returned, as promised, with a heap of blankets in his arms, and Virgil chuckled. “Patton, I’m fine.  You didn’t have to track down  _ every blanket in the house.” _

“I know,” Patton said happily, arranging the blankets around Virgil.  “I’ll go get you some soup. Why don’t you put on Love, Simon? I know that’s your favorite.”

Patton disappeared into the kitchen as Virgil set up the movie.

 

Virgil had finished half of his soup and was idly stirring the rest with his spoon, trying to keep his gaze on the television and pretend he couldn’t feel Patton’s gaze burning into the side of his head.

“Virgil?”  It was soft, hesitant, questioning.

“Hm?”

“...You haven’t been eating, have you?”

Virgil froze, dropping his spoon.  “How did you - ?”

Patton smiled sadly.  “I know these things, Virge.  Comes in handy when I’m trying to take care of my kiddos.”  He sighed. “You said you’d try to get better.”

“And I am trying!” Virgil insisted.  “I just - it’s just  _ hard, _ Patton.  It’s hard to eat and it’s hard not to fall back on old habits, and I get so scared thinking of recovering that it’s - it’s almost impossible to keep up.”

“How long?” Patton asked quietly.

“What?”

“How long did you go without eating?”

“One hundred and twenty-four hours.”  Virgil kept his gaze fixed firmly on his soup, refusing to look at Patton.

“One hundred and twenty-f - ?!  Geez, Virgil…”

“I know, I know!” Virgil said quickly.

“That’s - that’s five days!”

“Seriously, do you think I don’t know that?” Virgil snapped, and Patton recoiled at his harsh tone, shoulders tense.

“Kiddo…”

“You don’t get it, Patton.  There’s absolutely nothing like it, when you feel empty and light and  _ perfect _ and you can see the numbers going down.  Somehow, when I’m not eating, the weakness that comes with it feels like strength.”

“That isn’t healthy.”

“I know.  And I know I should’ve at least tried to eat.  But I...I couldn’t.”

“You’re eating now, though,” Patton said gently.  “That’s progress.”

Virgil tried to bite back the tears that threatened to choke him.  “It’s not  _ enough.   _ I’m still relapsing.”

“And yet you’re willing to try again.”

They were silent for a while, the only noise being the movie in the background and Virgil finishing the last half of his soup.

“You’re...you’re a really good friend, Pat.”

Patton smiled, taking Virgil’s empty bowl from his hands and placing it on the end table, opening his arms in an invitation that Virgil accepted without a second thought.  He threw off a few of the blankets Patton had piled on top of him and shifted until Patton could pull him into a hug.

“We all love you, Virge.  Never forget that, alright?”

“I’ll try not to,” Virgil promised.  “And...I love you guys, too.”


End file.
